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<title>zote: heard the call and ran the other direction by Schnikeys_Discuss (Schnikeys)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27067519">zote: heard the call and ran the other direction</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schnikeys/pseuds/Schnikeys_Discuss'>Schnikeys_Discuss (Schnikeys)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Clockie's Meta [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Analysis, Archived from radioactivesupersonic Blog, Character Analysis, Gen, Nonfiction, Originally Posted on Tumblr</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2019-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2019-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:27:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>397</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27067519</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schnikeys/pseuds/Schnikeys_Discuss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Honestly my going theory for a long time was somehow Zote was connected to PK and WL but since unearthing his dream nail dialogue the first time you find him in Dirtmouth, I think it’s more likely (and, IMO, funnier) if he’s actually connected to another kingdom somehow and probably actually does have some kind of magical destiny something or other that he’s by all accounts <em>actively avoiding.</em>"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Clockie's Meta [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974223</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>zote: heard the call and ran the other direction</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkRainbow/gifts">ClockworkRainbow</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Honestly my going theory for a long time was somehow Zote was connected to PK and WL but since unearthing his dream nail dialogue the first time you find him in Dirtmouth, I think it’s more likely (and, IMO, funnier) if he’s actually connected to another kingdom somehow and probably actually does have some kind of magical destiny something or other that he’s by all accounts <em>actively avoiding</em>.</p><p>It’d seem to have a canonical framework in the idea that he’s loathe to accept weapons or power seemingly from other people- he’s certainly not opposed to staying in others’ houses, since he actually has precepts about that, but he’s extremely proud of Life Ender despite it seeming to be more or less useless as a weapon.</p><p>I know that Zote and Hornet were conceptualized as playable characters besides Ghost and even their early prototype bios suggest this- both are described as having their own journeys, either “two steps ahead of” (Hornet) or “a step behind” (Zote) and the information emerging about Silksong and its setting of Pharloom implies that Herrah has unfinished business there that Hornet is inheriting in some way.</p><p>So Zote being concerned with the fate of another kingdom would be interesting- and more interesting if he actively fled his fate, where Ghost came willingly in search of it, and Hornet appears to not know of it until she’s kidnapped and then, angered, goes looking for answers. Especially since Zote has a <em>lot</em> to say about duty and the demands of family in particular.</p><p>The implication somewhere there is a higher being inexorably trying to collect on Zote while Zote is just walking right past the magic sword of destiny as quickly as he can would be a very interesting angle, considering how he’s a glory hound but equally insistent he can only achieve reverence by his own terms- even illustrated by how his statue in the Hall of Gods is a weird outlier that seems to force its way in.</p><p>(And honestly, what the hell is up with the Eternal Ordeal? Is there an implication this is somehow related to ‘real’ Zote or things he could be potentially capable of? The soul-draining quality of the Curse Ghosts is found nowhere else in the game, and the only thing comparable is the blessing handed out by Salubra the Charm Vendor, who seems a subtly powerful person)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Analysis originally found here: <a href="https://radioactivesupersonic.tumblr.com/post/184218436130/honestly-my-going-theory-for-a-long-time-was">https://radioactivesupersonic.tumblr.com/post/184218436130/honestly-my-going-theory-for-a-long-time-was</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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